Beriev Be-42 / A-40 Albatros / MERMAID

The largest amphibian plane in the world, the A-40 Albatros military maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, first flew in 1986 and entered service in limited numbers in 1990. Designed to replace old the Beriev Be-12 and Ilyushin Il-38 in Russian Navy aviation anti-submarine service, the A-40 was developed to provide access to remote areas in the east of the Soviet Union, transporting replacement maritime crews, anti-submarine operations, and SAR work. This product of the G.M.Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific-Engineering Complex, was detected by US intelligence in 1988 and designated MERMAID by NATO. The A-40 aircraft was publicly revealed at the Tushino airshow in August 1989. The Be-42 is a unique aircraft, with its high-aspect ratio, slightly swept wings, slender fuselage, and booster engines faired in beneath the main engines. The unmistakable shape features a high wing with two large motors placed over the wing, a "T" tail and a probe for the in-flight refueling. Despite a lack of production orders the Beriev A-40 Albatros has accumulated a number of world-wide performance records from its first flight in 1986.

The Beriev BE-200 is a twin engine multiple amphibious aircraft derived from the much larger Beriev A-40. The Be-200 is intended for production in transport, passenger-carrying, fire-fighting, patrol and search-and-rescue versions. The aircraft's maximum take-off weight of 42 ton is half that of the A-20.
The Russian Ministry of Forests has expressed interest in 10 to 50 Be-200s for fire-fighting roles, although the required finance is unlikely to be available for some time. Production is being undertaken by Beriev's associated Irkutsk factory within IAPO, which also builds the two-seat Sukhoi Su-30 series, including the MKI versions for India. Interest has also been expressed by South Korea in a version of the Be-200 for maritime patrol.

Specifications

Country of Origin

Russia

Builder

Beriev

Role

Amphibious anti-submarine patrol aircraft

Similar Aircraft

Wing Span

135 ft 06 in ( 41.62 m )

wing area

200.0m2

Length

143 ft 10 in ( 43.80 m )

Height

36 ft 03 in ( 11.00 m )

Weight

189,595 lb ( 86,000 kg ) Max T/O

Engine

2 x Soloviev D-30KPV, 117.7 kN and 2 x Klimov RD-60K, 24.5 kN

Maximum speed

472 mph ( 760 km/h )

Cruising speed

720 km/h

Range

range w/max.fuel: 5500 km
range w/max.payload: 4100 km

Service Ceiling

Armament

6500kg of bombs, torpedos or mines

Crew

Eight: two pilots; flight engineer; radio operator; navigator; three observers